Improved nut-tapping machine



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JAMES KIRKLEY, OFGHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

Letters Patent No. 70,862, dated November 12, 1867.

IMPROVED NUT-TAPPING. MACHINE.

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TO ALI. WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, ,JAMES KIRKLEY, of Chicago,'in the county ot Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented an improved Nut-Tapping Machine; and I do hereby declare Athat the following is a full, clear, and ex'act description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making apart of this specification, in which- Figurc l, sheet 1,*is a front elevation ot my improved tapping machine, adapted for using four taps.

Figure 2, sheet 1, is an elevationr of one end of the machine.

Figure 3, sheet 2, is a section taken in thel vertical plane indicated by red line a: x in tlg. 1.

` Figure 4, sheet 2 is an enlarged view, in detail, of one ot' the tap-spindles and its bearings.

Similar letters ofref'erence indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to a novel mode of constructing machinery for tapping nuts, so that many practical difficulties heretofore found to exist in machines of this class may be obviated.

The main object of the invention is to employ, in conjunction with a gang of taps, which are applied to spindles that rise and fall in planes perpendicular to a stationary table upon which the nuts are held, a novel apparatus for automatically supplying oil to the taps during their roperation upon the nuts, and keeping the parts well lubricated without requiring the attention of the attendant; said apparatus consisting of an elevated reservoir for supplying oil to the nuts through feeding-tubes, a drip-pan and strainer for receiving the oil which is unconsumcd, and apumping apparatus which will elevate the oil from the drip-pan and return it to the supply'- reservoir, as will be hereinafter described, A i

Another object of my invention is to-provide, in ahnt-tapping machine which employs a gang of vertical spindles with a stationary nut-'holding table beneath them, a simple and eiicient means whereby the pressure of the taps upon the nutscan be adjusted and regulated to a nicety for tapping nuts oi' different sizes, at the same time providing for enabling the attendant to raise or depress any one ofthe spindles at pleasure, as will be hereinafter described. l

,To enable others skilled-in the art to understand my invention, I will describe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents a castiron frame, which is adapted for containingand sup'- porting the several parts employed in the operation of tapping nuts. B is the upper horizontal bar, with journalboxes or holsters for supporting spur-wheels. C is the lower horizontal bar, having journal-boxes for guidingy the tap-carrying spindles, and also bearings for the fulcra of levers, which are'used to rais'c or depress the spindles. D is the operatorsitable or bed, which is flanged, as shown in crosssec`tion, fig. r3, yand also adapted for receiving the removable nut-holders. E is a bracket, appliedto frame A for supporting the enter end of the driving-shaft yand the cone-pulleys P, which are upon this shaft. F is thc upper oil-reservoir, G the lower oi1- receiver, and G'is a finely-reticulated strainer, which is applied to the receiver G. HH represent the taps and their Shanks; I, removable socket-pieces on the lower ends of the spindles J, for receiving and firmly holding the upper ends of the tap-Shanks. The socket-pieces I are made of different sizes, to suit the size of the taps used, and the shanks on all of these socket-pieces are of one given size, so as to tit the sockets which are made in the\lower ends of the spindles J, as shown in fig. 4. The spindles J may be made with grooves or slots in them, as shown in iig. 4, at J', with feathers in the hubs of the spur-wheels I; or these spindles may be made with feathers or tenons of Asuitable length, fitting into corresponding grooves inzthe hubs of wheels L. By this latter means the operator may raise the spindles, so that the lower parts ofthe feathers will pass out of the top ofthe spur-wheel L, andthereby allow the attendant to stop the rotation of any one spindle at pleasure, without stopping all of the spindles. K are collars or bearings on the spindles J, which receive rings J3 between them, to which ring the forked ends of levers R are pivoted. These levers R are connected by vibrating links R. to the bar C, so as to form movable fulcr'a for allowing lthe levers to vibrate freely without causing the rings J3 to bindon the collars K, nor the spindles to bind in their bearings. L are spur-wheels-with sleeve-journals. These wheels have feathers in their hubs, working in long slots in their respective spindles J, Aas above stated, by means ot' which rotary motion is communicated to them from the main sha'ft 0. These wheels Lengage with and are operated by pinion-spurs, which form part of the donble-gear wheels M. These wheels M consist of bevel-gears and spur-pinions, the former of which engage with bevel-pinions N N on the main driving-shaft O. By this arrangement, rotary motion is communicated to all the spindles Jsimultancously. Q represent guidesl for the foot-levers or treadles S, each onejof which latter is attached by a rod, T, to its respective forked lever R, for enabling the attendant to raise or depress any o ne ofthe spindles at pleasure by means of his foot. Provision is made for attaching weights lVto the rear ends ofy the levers R, as shown in fig. 4, by means of which the downward pressure (weight) of the' spindles J, and their taps, can be diminished, as in the caso of tapping very light nuts, where the entire weight of the spindle would be too great.

rlhe forcing-pump a is used for returning oil to the upper reservoir or cistern F. I do not confino myself to a particular form or location of pump for this purpose, as a pump and the oil-cistern may be so located that, by means of conducting pipes, oil can be supplied automatically to a number of machines in one establishment.

The pip'eb is used for returning oil to the upper reservoir F. c is the overflow pipe, for conducting oil to the lower cistern, in case the upper one becomes too full; d d a pipe carrying oil from the upper cistern F to the distributing pipes c e. These latter pipes have stop-cocks applied 'to them, for regulating'the iiow of oil, and for cutting oif the oil from any tap when it is found desirable to do so; ff are the upper and lower pulleys, for driving the pump; g, a belt connecting these pulleys. On the inner end of the shaft of the lower pulleyfis a crank, 'which connects by means of a pitman, z', with the plungerrod ofthe pump.

The table or bed Djs anged around its edges, for the purpose of preventing the escape of oil-therefrom.y This table has rectangular apertures through it, for receiving the nut-boxes or nut-holders t, asshown in ig. 3, which are made, externally, of uniform size to it'the apertures in the table D. The recesses in the nut-holders are made in sizes suitable'for tapping nuts of various sizes and shapes, as many different nut-holders being required as there are dierent sizes and shapes of nuts to be' tapped. The hole which is through the centre of the bottom of each nut-holder should be 'of a size which is adapted to receive freely through it the instrument used in tapping the nut.

The operation is as follows: Power being applied to the main shaft by means of a driving-belt passing over cone-pulley P, motion is transmitted, by means of bevel-spur wheels N N, to the doublegear wheels M, and

thence to the spindles J, all of which latter are rotated in the same direction. Motion from the main shaft O is also imparted to the pump a by means of the belt and pulleys above described, so that the oil can be kept constantly flowing from one cistern to another, and through the discharge pipes e e upon the taps H, and through the nutboxes or holders h, thereby eifecting the most perfect lubrication of the parts requiring oil, without the attention of the operator.

The nuts to be tapped being convenient to the operator, he takes a nut in one hand, places his footpn one of the treadles S, raises the spindle thereof, and drops the nut into the nut-box. He then steps to the next spindle, and repeats the same operation.` As ysoon as his foot is removed from the treadle of the first spindle, the latter falls and at once commences to cut the thread and bythe time the operator has supplied all the nutboxes with nuts, the tap on the rst spindle will have completediits work, so that he returns and again makes a round as before, and this continues until the Shanks of the. taps are all full of inishedtnuts. The nuts are removedfrom the upper ends of the Shanks ofthe taps by detaching them from the socket-pieces I, to do which the motion of the spindles should be stopped byslipping the driving-belt from the oone-pulleys. Should feathers be constructed upon the spindles, as above stated, the motion of the latter can be stopped, and the taps detached by simply raising them to the proper height for disengaging the feathers from the hubs of the wheels L.

In tapping very small nuts, requiring iine threads, weights, W, will be applied to the rear ends of the spindle-levers, and adjusted thereon so as to modify the pressure of the spindles and taps, as may be foundv necessary.

It will be seen from the above description that the spindles carrying the taps move up and down in vertical -planes above the bed which sustains the nut-boxes, and that the taps are made to pass through the nuts, while tho nuts remain stationary. ThisV enables the operator to convey the oil to the exact points required, the streams flowing constantly down through the grooves in the taps, and etfectually lubricating the parts as the nuts are being cut, without any labor or attent-ion whatever on the part of the operator. i

By the arrangement shown and described, the weight of the spindles, in all cases, is suiicicut to cause the taps to enter the nuts, and commence cutting immediately the nuts ,are dropped into their boxes, and the taps allowed to fall upon them. i

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure'by Lett-ers Patent, is-

1. The arrangement of a gang of die-boxes, a gang of taps, a gang of rotating and'vertically sliding spindles, in the relation shown to gears, and a shaft, O, the parts above named being constructed and operated substantially as herein described. f

2. The arrangements of the oil-receiver Gr, oil-supply reservo-ir F, pipes d c, and forcing-pump a, in combination with the die-bed and vertically sliding and rotating spindle, carrying taps, substantially in the manner andfor the purpose herein described.

3. The combination, `with the nut-tapping machine, constructed and operating substantially as herein described, of an automatic lubricating. and oilclevating apparatus, constructed and operating substantially as herein described.

4. The arrangement of the levers R, lwcigbtW, links R', treadles S, and vertically-sliding and'horizontallyrotating spindles, carrying taps H, in relation to one another and to the die-bed D, substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

JAMES KIRKLEY.

i Witnesses W. F. Wnlrnuousn, A.V N. Toune. 

